Superbowl Sunday meets The Matrix
January 24, 2001 7:07 AM Subscribe
Superbowl Sunday meets The Matrix Some of you may not need a reason to watch the phenomenon that is Superbowl Sunday. Others of us need technological cajoling. Here's a video demonstrating the replay special effect. (Sorry about the Verizon ad.) via slashdot.
that's brilliant. it's the best use of stop-action yet, because it's more than just eye-candy. i hope it's well-executed!
posted by palegirl at 8:18 AM on January 24, 2001
posted by palegirl at 8:18 AM on January 24, 2001
What I want to know is: How are they going to choose when to snap the shots for use in the replay?
posted by cludwig at 8:22 AM on January 24, 2001
posted by cludwig at 8:22 AM on January 24, 2001
Well, you gotta figure, in order for this spin technique to work, all the cameras around the stadium have to be pointing at the exact same spot in three dimensions. So the cameras are either fixed -- all pointing to the same location, which would be pretty limited considering the size of a football field; or there's some little electronic homing device implanted on the football itself, which isn't likely due to the rules of the game; or there's a camera man somehow controlling where the 30+ cameras are aiming at any given moment.
posted by crunchland at 8:29 AM on January 24, 2001
posted by crunchland at 8:29 AM on January 24, 2001
They don't have to choose when to "snap the shot." There is no shot to snap. All 33 cameras are running continuously recording digital video (the Super Bowl is also being broadcast in HDTV this year, so it's all-digital) and there are no "shots." It's like a DVD. Ever paused a DVD?
So they pause the action on all 33 robot-cameras at the same time and pan around and back and so forth. It's all in the article. One camera is controlled by an operator and all the other cameras follow that camera's point-of-focus. I assume they use a laser or some other targeting mechanism for the robot heads to follow, or perhaps they just have a mock-up of the stadium in 3-D and they follow a virtual point-of-focus based on where the single camera is "looking."
This is the first time it's ever been used, and, assuming it works as planned, in the future they'll expand the capabilities to include using the technology to digitally erase players from the scenes to focus in only on what and who is important to the play.
posted by honkzilla at 8:51 AM on January 24, 2001
So they pause the action on all 33 robot-cameras at the same time and pan around and back and so forth. It's all in the article. One camera is controlled by an operator and all the other cameras follow that camera's point-of-focus. I assume they use a laser or some other targeting mechanism for the robot heads to follow, or perhaps they just have a mock-up of the stadium in 3-D and they follow a virtual point-of-focus based on where the single camera is "looking."
This is the first time it's ever been used, and, assuming it works as planned, in the future they'll expand the capabilities to include using the technology to digitally erase players from the scenes to focus in only on what and who is important to the play.
posted by honkzilla at 8:51 AM on January 24, 2001
Just a matter of time until you can control the angle from your own TV in live time.
It'd get annoying trying to watch a game on a big screen TV while your best friend holds down the spin control, though. Maybe they'll keep that tech on people's personal computers.
posted by jragon at 8:56 AM on January 24, 2001
It'd get annoying trying to watch a game on a big screen TV while your best friend holds down the spin control, though. Maybe they'll keep that tech on people's personal computers.
posted by jragon at 8:56 AM on January 24, 2001
Just a matter of time until you can control the angle from your own TV in live time.
It'd get annoying trying to watch a game on a big screen TV while your best friend holds down the spin control, though. Maybe they'll keep that tech on people's personal computers.
posted by jragon at 8:56 AM on January 24, 2001
It'd get annoying trying to watch a game on a big screen TV while your best friend holds down the spin control, though. Maybe they'll keep that tech on people's personal computers.
posted by jragon at 8:56 AM on January 24, 2001
I assume they use a laser or some other targeting mechanism for the robot heads to follow, or perhaps they just have a mock-up of the stadium in 3-D and they follow a virtual point-of-focus based on where the single camera is "looking."
It's probably tied into the system they already use for putting the yellow first-down line on the field. The first time I saw that, my mind boggled by the amount of technology required to put a single yellow line on the field in the right place and keep it in the right place when the camera moves. It apparently requires a special camera with very accurate motion sensors, a 3D computer model of the stadium, and a truckfull of equipment.
Somehow I knew this would eventually be used for sports when I saw how it was done in the supplemental footage on the DVD of The Matrix. They used still cameras fired by computer, but there is no reason not to use continuously-running video cameras. It doesn't look like they're interpolating the between-camera shots like they did in The Matrix, though, which is not surprising; I doubt that could be done in real-time yet by any reasonable amount of equipment.
posted by kindall at 9:35 AM on January 24, 2001
It's probably tied into the system they already use for putting the yellow first-down line on the field. The first time I saw that, my mind boggled by the amount of technology required to put a single yellow line on the field in the right place and keep it in the right place when the camera moves. It apparently requires a special camera with very accurate motion sensors, a 3D computer model of the stadium, and a truckfull of equipment.
Somehow I knew this would eventually be used for sports when I saw how it was done in the supplemental footage on the DVD of The Matrix. They used still cameras fired by computer, but there is no reason not to use continuously-running video cameras. It doesn't look like they're interpolating the between-camera shots like they did in The Matrix, though, which is not surprising; I doubt that could be done in real-time yet by any reasonable amount of equipment.
posted by kindall at 9:35 AM on January 24, 2001
Oh man <drool>. Now I've got a reason to watch the Superbowl better than "Expensive Commercials"
posted by cCranium at 9:36 AM on January 24, 2001
posted by cCranium at 9:36 AM on January 24, 2001
Too bad I don't really like Football...maybe they will start putting this technology to use on my two favorite types of programming: cooking shows and game shows.
Just imagine the power of watching the Frugal Gourmet dusting his crumpets after they get out of the oven. The possibilities are endless!!
posted by schlomo at 9:45 AM on January 24, 2001
Just imagine the power of watching the Frugal Gourmet dusting his crumpets after they get out of the oven. The possibilities are endless!!
posted by schlomo at 9:45 AM on January 24, 2001
Me, I'm waiting for pr0n. 360 money shots!
posted by anonymous coward at 9:45 AM PST on January 24
I think the above poster was way out of line. Too much information!
My question is, will they be able to show the spiraling, whizzing path of the ball as it zooms past the camera and through the leg of the players? Uh, scratch the last part.
posted by dhartung at 9:58 AM on January 24, 2001
posted by anonymous coward at 9:45 AM PST on January 24
I think the above poster was way out of line. Too much information!
My question is, will they be able to show the spiraling, whizzing path of the ball as it zooms past the camera and through the leg of the players? Uh, scratch the last part.
posted by dhartung at 9:58 AM on January 24, 2001
I can't wait until the first big nasty knee blow-out or quaterback killer defensive tackle crunch! 360 degree realtime fly-by of some players leg bending the wrong direction.
*ouch*
posted by Jeremy at 10:03 AM on January 24, 2001
*ouch*
posted by Jeremy at 10:03 AM on January 24, 2001
I think the above poster was way out of line. Too much information!
<squinting eyes, viewing source>
that was no post... there is no such poster...
dan????
posted by Avogadro at 10:37 AM on January 24, 2001
<squinting eyes, viewing source>
that was no post... there is no such poster...
dan????
posted by Avogadro at 10:37 AM on January 24, 2001
Hee hee. Reminds me of my GEnie days when I used to fake messages from other chat room users with line wrapping.
posted by kindall at 1:08 PM on January 24, 2001
posted by kindall at 1:08 PM on January 24, 2001
Me, I'm waiting for pr0n. 360 money shots!
like in fight club?
posted by palegirl at 1:29 PM on January 24, 2001
like in fight club?
posted by palegirl at 1:29 PM on January 24, 2001
But not so great that I was willing to use a comma. . .
posted by rodii at 5:51 PM on January 24, 2001
posted by rodii at 5:51 PM on January 24, 2001
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
Funny how life is now starting to mimic video games.
posted by hijinx at 7:23 AM on January 24, 2001